A wide variety of gaming devices are now available to gamers and to casino operators in computerized form, from slot machines to games that are traditionally played live such as poker and blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a lower overall cost of production and management.
Computerized video game systems must be designed with many of the same concerns as their mechanical and table game ancestors—they must be fair, they must provide sufficient feedback to the gamer to make the game fun to play, and they must meet a variety of gaming regulations to ensure that both the machine owner and gamer are honest and fairly treated in implementing the game. Further, they must provide a gaming experience that is at least as attractive as the older mechanical gaming machine experience to the gamer, to ensure success in a competitive gaming market.
Many computerized wagering game systems have a variety of sound and graphical elements designed to attract and keep a game player's attention, such as sound effects, music, and animation. These game presentation features often include a variety of music, sound effects, and voices presented to complement a video presentation of the wagering game on a display.
But, as wagering game systems evolve and audio technology progresses, it can become difficult to interface older technology with new technology. For example, sending an audio signal from one device to another requires that it be sent in a format recognized by both devices, which traditionally means that it is sent as a “line-level” analog audio signal. But analog signals are subject to noise and other interference in a computerized system employing digital electronics, lights, and other devices that produce electrical interference, and so can reduce or degrade the quality of the signal.
It is therefore desired to interface audio components using superior technologies in a wagering game machine.